Have you been catching Jazz on the Green at beautiful Turner Park? Wow x a million. The shows have been spectacular and twice the fun since we can enjoy them from our balcony.

I've been trying to do more of my own fun art after my "work art" and decided it would be a good artsy exercise to capture Jazz on the Green on canvas.

iPad canvas. So much easier than lugging art supplies out on the balcony.

"Watch out beloooow! Falling burnt umber!"

Jazz and Art - Summertime in Omaha

I recently downloaded the art app Procreate and am impressed with how realistic the brushes, pens, and pencils feel. It's amazingly close to the real thing.

Okay, so I grabbed my iPad and stylus, a glass of wine, and I got settled on the balcony. The music started...wonderful, wonderful....(toe tapping). I readied my stylus and....

Nothin'.

Nothing sputtered out from brain to hand.
This was more challenging than I thought!

"I attempted to capture the joy of the musicians, the way the amazing sounds floated through the park and into the clouds, the vibe of the audience, the vibrant summer night."

So, I sat back and listened for about a half hour. Then the ideas started to flow. I attempted to capture the joy of the musicians, the way the amazing sounds floated through the park and into the clouds, the vibe of the audience, the vibrant summer night.

I don't wanna sound too artsy-farty here, but being outside with a connection between the park and the music and the canvas was "plein air" groovy.

I swear I saw a squirrel dancing.

And so I made this series of quick sketches that you see on this blog page. It was a joyful way to capture summer and a reminder that a regular Thursday evening can turn into an artsy adventure.